Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 313: The Secret of Beginnings After a long while, the tumultuous emotions in Wukong’s heart gradually calmed down, and he began to ponder over what Laojun had said: “When the world is united, it is as if I have come; when the world is divided, it is as if I have gone.” After repeating these words several times, Wukong couldn’t help but curse, “Damn it!” Laojun’s gaze at Wukong was as if he had found a flea in the Tushita Palace—could even the Divine Ape of Creation swear? The reason Wukong cursed was that he realized the meaning behind that person’s name clearly contradicted that of the Divine Ape of Creation! The Divine Ape of Creation appeared after Pangu split the chaos, yet this person said, “When the world is united, it is as if I have come”; the Divine Ape of Creation disappeared when heaven and earth returned to chaos, yet this person said, “When the world is divided, it is as if I have gone.” Moreover, this person used the powers of the previous cycle to create a golden ring to restrain Wukong—how could Wukong not curse? Laojun said, “That person was not originally called Tathagata; he adopted that name after realizing the perils of the previous cycle.” Wukong asked, “What was his original name?” Laojun replied, “He originally had no name.” Wukong had long forgotten about Bodhisattva Nagarjuna. Was this Tathagata related to the current Buddha Tathagata? If so, how could Laojun and the others remain so calm? What had they been doing all these years? Wukong asked, “What did you think when you first heard the name of the current Buddha Tathagata?” Laojun said, “Coincidence.” “Impossible! How can such a thing be a coincidence?” Laojun replied, “I truly think it’s a coincidence. The language of this world differs slightly from that of the previous cycle, and there are various forms. The original meaning of Tathagata is ‘the awakened one,’ so I consider it a coincidence.” Wukong asked further, “Then… were there any attempts to test it?” Laojun nodded. “Of course. This Tathagata bears no resemblance to that person at all, so after a few attempts, we stopped doubting. Besides, when this Tathagata appeared, his cultivation was insignificant, so we really didn’t pay attention.” Wukong pressed on, “What about after that? Even after he became the current Buddha, did you not pay any attention?” Laojun said, “With our three of us having such high cultivation, if he had even the slightest connection to that person, we would have discovered it clearly. After a few attempts with no signs, we gave up the idea!” Wukong thought for a moment. The Three Pure Ones indeed had the qualifications to say such things, but that person had always been superior to them. Who knew what methods he used to deceive them? Just the fact that this Tathagata wasn’t the original one, yet his actions and methods were so similar—both showing interest in the Kings of the Five Categories—made Wukong conclude that even if this Tathagata wasn’t that person, he must surely be working for him!
Wukong suddenly remembered something and asked, “What kind of characters were used in the last era? Do you still remember, Laojun?” Laojun replied, “If we trace back to the origin, the characters of this era have also been greatly influenced by the three of us, so there isn’t much difference.” Wukong used his finger as a pen to write the three characters “Tongtian River” in seal script on the table and asked, “Is it this kind of character?” Upon seeing it, Laojun quickly asked, “How did you manage to write the characters from that era?” Wukong said, “I don’t know how. I just happened to pass by the Tongtian River and saw strange characters written on a stone tablet by the river. Out of curiosity, I wrote them down.” Laojun said, “Only a few people can write these characters. Naturally, the three of us can’t. Even the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother… when they came out of the Creation Furnace, they barely knew a few characters. Even if they did, they wouldn’t be so idle as to erect a tablet by the Tongtian River. Could it be that person who erected this tablet?” Wukong then asked, “Why did he erect this tablet? Doesn’t that leave a clue?” Laojun frowned in thought for a long time before shaking his head and saying, “Apart from our Three Pure Ones’ palace, I fear no other place in the world has these characters. Could these characters… imply something strange about the Tongtian River?” Wukong said, “That’s not right. If there were something strange, it should be hidden, not leave a clue.” Laojun said, “That person is extremely cunning. Perhaps he deliberately left some clues to test others.” Wukong pondered whether he should tell Laojun about the secrets of the Tongtian River. After thinking for a while, he decided to keep it to himself, determined to hide the secret that the Tongtian River led to heaven. He didn’t want Laojun to know about the Existence Rod of Perfect Fate. This treasure, ranked second in the “Catalog of Treasures,” concealed countless mysteries. Until the truth became clear, it was better not to let others know. Wukong changed the subject and stopped talking about the Tongtian River. He asked, “Laojun, regarding the matter of the five kings, there seems to be the shadow of the current Buddha behind it. Now, do you still dare to say there’s any difference between this Buddha and those Buddhas?” Hearing this question, Laojun appeared somewhat confused and said, “That person is very skillful. We’ve been deceived again this time.” Wukong asked, “My cultivation is low, but I dare to guess—could it be that he’s using his second Dharma form?” Wukong himself possessed the second Dharma form, which allowed him to take on the appearance of a scholar, making it difficult for others to discern his true nature. Only the Seven Divine Apes could sense each other’s true forms. Therefore, he guessed that the Buddha was that person’s Dharma form, though he wasn’t sure if it was correct.
Laojun shook his head and said, “Though there are similarities, it’s not a Dharma form. You also have a Dharma-form body, so you should know that if one were to turn into two Dharma forms, a separate body would still be needed. If Tathagata were that person’s Dharma-form clone… that would make things even more difficult. He has long resided in the Great Hero Hall, often sitting motionless for months at a time—how could he possess such a terrifying clone technique?”
Wukong replied, “There’s no need to rack one’s brains over it. It’s simply a magic technique neither of us knows.”
Laojun said, “Ever since I learned that Tathagata is gathering the kings of the five categories, to be honest, when facing him again in the Western Heaven, I’ve felt quite anxious and at a loss, fearing I might fall for his tricks.”
Wukong laughed and said, “After all, he’s your three mentors. How could he possibly harm you?”
Laojun replied, “Though that’s the official relationship, upon reflection, that man took us three as disciples, and from start to finish, everything he did was to exploit us. Yet he never said a word, merely guiding us step by step—anyone would likely refuse to accept that.”
Wukong nodded. Laojun made a valid point. In ancient terms, it’s called: One of utmost virtue cannot be deceived; a person of great integrity cannot be insulted. In modern terms: You can insult my character, but not my intelligence! If everything is laid bare, it’s easy to handle, but treating people like fools is absolutely unacceptable.
That man is probably too clever, thinking he has everything under control, not realizing that his disciples already harbor rebellious thoughts. But who dares say that everything isn’t still under his control?
Wukong joked, “Don’t worry, Laojun. There’s always a way when faced with a problem. First, take off this golden ring from my head. Once I reach the Western Heaven, I’ll surely investigate things for you.”
Laojun said, “If you can find out, I’ll take you as my disciple!”
Wukong stuck out his tongue and said, “I wouldn’t dare. If you take me as your disciple, wouldn’t I become that man?”
Laojun was quite open-minded. In just a moment, he stopped racking his brains. He rolled up his sleeves and asked, “Wukong, what brought you here? Were you here to ask about Bodhisattva Nagarjuna just now?”
Wukong broke into a sweat. He had indeed come because of Bodhisattva Nagarjuna. After some back-and-forth, the conversation had taken a big detour, and he almost forgot unless Laojun reminded him. So he said, “I hope Laojun can clarify who Bodhisattva Nagarjuna really is.”
Laojun smiled and pointed at Wukong, scolding, “You monkey! So you don’t know the truth and came here to deceive me!”
Wukong couldn’t let Laojun expose him, so he decided to take a gamble and said stubbornly, “How could I not know? Bodhisattva Nagarjuna is my past life!”
Laojun let out a light exclamation and said, “So you really know. Then why do you still ask?”
Wukong laughed and said, “I only know this much. As for other things, like Longshu going to the Dragon Palace to fetch treasures or Zhenwu becoming a bodhisattva, I can’t remember anything clearly.”
Laojun was shocked. “Can’t remember? So, the story of Bodhisattva Longshu wasn’t told to you by someone else—it came back to you on your own?”
Wukong nodded. He wasn’t sure whether it was memory or something else, but without any external help, combined with strange dreams and his own reasoning, he had arrived at this conclusion.
Seeing Laojun pacing back and forth on the ground, rubbing his hands in circles as if something serious had happened, Wukong asked, “Is it so strange that I remember my past life on my own?”
Laojun replied, “When the Divine Ape is reborn, it often recalls some memories of its past life. With time, it might be able to remember everything. But whenever the Divine Ape is killed, it’s just before it’s about to fully awaken.”
Wukong grew serious and pondered these words. “Are you saying someone is deliberately preventing the Divine Ape from truly awakening?”
Laojun said, “It might just be a coincidence, but so far, no Divine Ape has been able to truly remember anything from before ancient times.”
That doesn’t make sense. Wukong remembered Fengtong telling him many things about the Divine Apes, and he had also dreamed of the seven divine apes eating peaches in a tree. But Laojun wouldn’t lie—could it be… that none of this mattered? Was there something even more important that the Divine Apes couldn’t know?
When Wukong entered the three realms, he had heard from people like Dayu that they had believed the rumor of the “Destructive Divine Ape” and killed all the Divine Apes. There seemed to always be a pair of sinister, cunning eyes watching over them from afar. At first, Wukong thought the person behind this was either trying to seize power or unwilling to let monsters rule over humans. Now, he had another thought: perhaps this person was truly worried that the Divine Apes might remember something.
According to the legends of creation, before ancient times, there were only Pangu, Kunpeng, the seven divine apes, and a Creation Furnace in the world. What did the seven divine apes see at that time? Could it be that person had done some secret deeds when the world was still empty?
Wukong shook his head. He was the Intelligent Divine Ape, the first divine ape to emerge from chaos. Laojun had said that when they came out of the Creation Furnace, there were already many humans, beasts, and birds in the world.
So, when the Intelligent Divine Ape was born, the only beings in the world were Pangu and Kunpeng—no one else. If anything truly significant had happened, he would have been the first to see it and would know more than the other divine apes.
No wonder Buddha specifically named me to take me on the quest for scriptures; he wanted to have complete control over me. Thus, those great secrets from the beginning of the universe would remain buried in time forever.